We often hear from politicians that they are “against illegal immigration but in favor of legal immigration.” Â
Though this refrain may sound safely moderate, it actually ducks the critical policy questions related to immigration: Who may come? How many? And how do we enforce the limits we set?Â
Even as a record level of immigration is creating huge challenges for housing, schools, workplaces and hospitals, few people are answering these questions.Â
In February, the total foreign-born (immigrant) population, including legal and illegal immigrants, hit a high of 51.4 million in the government’s monthly household survey, up 6.4 million since President Joe Biden took office, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. At 15.5% of the U.S. population, the foreign-born share rivals that of the so-called “Great Wave” of immigration of the 1890s.Â
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Illegal immigration is a long-standing problem, but research by the Migration Policy Institute shows the number of undocumented immigrants was relatively stable in the years before the pandemic. Now, all of that has changed.
The border crisis was partly caused by the president’s campaign promises to curtail immigration enforcement. Ending the "Remain in Mexico" policy for asylum applicants, terminating Title 42 too soon, which returned border crossers to Mexico, and suspending the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries all spurred illegal immigration.Â
The administration also decided to curtail the use of detention and “expedited removal,” which sends undocumented immigrants back to their home countries quickly. All of this caused border “encounters” to skyrocket.Â
So far, the United States has released 3.3 million undocumented immigrants into the country, according to Congress, and 1.7 million have been seen crossing illegally but evaded U.S. Border Patrol.Â
Many foreign-born people in the United States are legal immigrants. Our legal immigration system is mainly based on family relationships, not skills. This is why many new immigrants have no education beyond high school.
Less-educated immigrants earn low wages and make modest tax contributions, even when paid on the books. Their use of welfare programs, which they often qualify for through their U.S.-born children, creates significant costs for taxpayers.Â
By artificially increasing the supply of workers, legal and illegal immigration depress wages for the poorest and least-educated Americans. Additionally, our reliance on immigrant labor has allowed society to ignore the huge increase in less-educated men not in the labor force — neither working nor looking for work. They do not show up as unemployed because they are not actively looking for work. The rise in non-work is linked to serious social pathologies, including crime and overdose deaths.Â
We need to undo the administration’s border policies, increase deportations and penalize employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Stopping localities from releasing jailed immigrants and denying them welfare, driver’s licenses and in-state college tuition also would help. Considering all the things we do to encourage illegal immigration, it’s absurd to suggest, as some do, that we have seriously tried to enforce the law.Â
We can move to a legal immigration system that reduces the numbers and selects immigrants based on their skills. We also can enforce our laws. Immigration is not the weather. It can be controlled and managed to benefit the American people.Â
Camarota is the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.